Immigration Reform?

By Kevin Robinson in News on Jan 22, 2007 2:50PM

Dick Durbin popped up in the news again this weekend (no tough feat for the Majority Whip), suggesting that the new Democratic majority in congress will work to pass some sort of immigration bill this term. "I think prospects are good," said Durbin, referring to discussions going on over a comprehensive bill that would offer more visas for highly skilled workers, toughen border enforcement, and could offer a path to citizenship for millions of immigrants that entered the US illegally.

Last year the Senate passed a similar bill, only to have it die in the House, called amnesty by a solid group of Republican lawmakers, led by James Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin. With some of those legislators out of office after the last election, some see an opportunity for broad, bipartisan action. Included in this group is a coalition of farmers, unions and immigration activists, and major corporations, such as Microsoft and Swift & Co. Under the banner Alliance for Immigration Reform 2007, they are hoping the weight of both the Chamber of Commerce and the biggest labor union in the US, SEIU, can pass comprehensive reform before the politics of 2008 make it unworkable.

With the feds cracking down more, and legislation paving the way for construction of a 700 mile fence passed in September of last year, it seems that a compromise bill may come out of this congress, just in time for the 2008 presidential elections. Coming up with a fair and equitable solution, one that evens the playing field for workers in the US, and puts some of the onus for economic development back onto countries such as Mexico, is no easy task. With a whirlwind of legislation coming out of congress right now, and the nation gearing up to tackle some big issues, we're interested to see how this will play out.